FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Clearwire Brings Wireless Broadband Internet Service to Eau Claire, Frees Customers from Confines of Traditional Internet Access

Reliable Broadband Provider Launches in Eau Claire, Announces Charitable Donation to Children’s Museum of Eau Claire


CONTACT

 

Todd Wolfenbarger
The Summit Group
801.990.1180
twolfenbarger@e-tsg.com

Ralph Roberts
St. John & Partners
904.421.8092
ralphroberts@sjp.com


EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (July 28, 2005) — Clearwire officially launched its wireless broadband Internet service in Eau Claire today when company and community leaders cut through a ribbon of coaxial cable and telephone cord at a celebratory reception at the Hillcrest Golf & Country Club. Eau Claire is the first market in Wisconsin to receive the company’s innovative service. The company celebrated its launch by announcing a community relationship with the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire.

“Eau Claire now has a better choice for broadband Internet service that’s simple, flexible and affordable,” said Scott Meyer, Clearwire’s general manager for Eau Claire. “Clearwire will break down the barriers of traditional broadband service, offering consumers high-speed Internet without wires,” added Bill Snoeberger, vice president of small markets. Snoeberger, Meyer, Children’s Museum of Eau Claire Executive Director Suzie Slota, State Senator Ron Brown, and Chamber of Commerce representative Kate Ludwigson then cut through the cables with several pair of large wire cutters.

At the event, Clearwire announced it has given a charitable donation to the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire and presented them with a $2,500 check to benefit their programs.

“One of the things we like to do as soon as we come into a community is find a way to give back in a meaningful way,” said Meyer. “Because of the local appreciation for the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, we felt we could best give back to the community by supporting their effort to provide an interactive environment for children and their grownups that inspires imagination, discovery, creativity and the love of learning.”

“We believe this contribution will be a great starting point for developing an ongoing relationship with the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire,” Meyer added.

Clearwire deploys a next-generation, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) technology that allows customers to connect to the Internet via a signal sent across the airwaves rather than across wires. The company sends the signal from a transmitter to a specially developed receiver box that plugs into the customer’s computer instead of connecting to traditional coaxial cable or telephone wires. Customers simply plug the receiver into an electrical outlet and into their computer to gain high-speed access to the Internet from any room inside or outside their home or office.

“Clearwire is ‘next-generation’ broadband — wireless broadband Internet service delivered to the consumer in a manner that is easier to get, set up and use than other options currently offered,” said Meyer.

Anyone can purchase Clearwire service at select local retailers, take it home, set it up and be online in minutes. It’s plug-and-play installation — no need for a technician to configure additional hardware and no need for software to be loaded onto computers to make it work. In addition, customers can move the service from place to place inside Clearwire’s coverage area, which allows them to use the service throughout their home, office or favorite coffee house. As long as there is a power source, Internet access is available.

“We’ve already heard so many great stories about how Clearwire is changing the way people live and work,” said Meyer. “We have realtors who access their email and listings while showing homes, small business owners who cut their Internet costs in half by taking their Clearwire modem with them to work in the morning and home with them at night, and homeowners who enjoy moving their service from room to room in their home wherever there’s an electrical outlet.”

Clearwire service is currently available to approximately 33,000 households in Eau Claire. The service is sold at several authorized retailers in the area, at Clearwire’s Eau Claire sales center at 1708 Westgate Road, Suite 205, toll free at 888-CLEARWIRE and online at clearwire.com.

Eau Claire is the latest city to receive Clearwire’s service as part of the company’s expansion to cities across the United States.

“We’re excited about providing area residents and small business owners reliable, wireless, broadband-speed Internet access with flexibility they’ve never had before,” said Bill Snoeberger. “Clearwire eliminates the limitations of traditional broadband services, offering a more consumer-friendly Internet experience. And, of course, we’re pleased to be launching our Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley coverage areas.

Clearwire is led by Craig McCaw, one of the early pioneers in providing cellular phone service in the United States in the early 1980s. His company, McCaw Cellular, grew to be the largest U.S. cellular service provider and was later acquired by AT&T.

Clearwire drew national attention in the summer of 2004 when it announced it would deploy wireless broadband technology in select markets across the country. Since then, Clearwire has launched service in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, Fla.; St. Cloud and Duluth, Minn.; Abilene, Midland and Odessa, Texas; Modesto, Stockton, Visalia and Merced, Calif.; Medford and Eugene, Ore.; and 15 Central Minnesota communities.

About Clearwire
Clearwire is a provider of reliable, wireless, high-speed broadband Internet service to consumers and small businesses. Clearwire is utilizing next-generation, non-line-of-sight wireless technology, developed by its subsidiary company NextNet Wireless, to connect customers to the Internet using radio spectrum, thus eliminating the confines of traditional cable or phone wiring. The tower transmits radio signals from a base site to a small, wireless modem the size of a paperback book, which easily connects a user’s computer to the Internet. For more information, visit clearwire.com.